How Should I Hook Up A Slab Of Yellow Tail/taylor Fillet?

[5ky]

just wondering how you guys hook up the fillet nicely, so it doesnt fall off that easy? is it better to use 2 hooks or just 1? usually i just hook it up normally, and most of the time it just falls off... anyone got any pics or links of best way to hook it?

mainly targeting jews... btw

thanks

[A.dawg]

I use 2 hooks one big and one stinger

[johnny doi]

you gota keep the bait as streamlined & natural,not just whacked on all bunched up.if chasing jew,presentation needs to be spot on.what i do wif slabs is usually try to taper a bait so its like a triangle,so in fast flowing water it doesnt spin.depends on how big the bait is,if you should use 1 or 2 hooks.if using a whole slab,i use 2 hooks.good tip is to put a slit down the middle of the flesh so it folds in half.dont cut through the skin,as though your gona cut the bait in half lenght ways.that way the bait is more streamline.if using 2 hooks pin the first in the tip & the other in the mid section.you can just use 1 hook as i do sometimes,just giv the fish a bit more time to take the whole bait down.

with bait falling off,if the bait is fresh you shouldnt have any probs.but if its been frozen & defrosted,flesh tends to go mushy,therefore falling off easier or easier for pickers to get off.if freezing baits,maybe try salting em.it makes the baits a lot tougher.i salt slabs all the time & they work great.actually got salted mullet in thr freezer that i caught & salted last week.

yakkas & tailor are top slab baits,even the heads are gun baits,i use the heads if theres pickers around.they can pick at it & theres still enough left when the predators arrive after the commotion pickers are creating.

give these tips a go,hope they help you on you way to jew sucess.

cheers johnny.

[5ky]

thanks raiders, i been always using a single hook, thats probably why.. haha will try with 2 hooks and try and keep it natural and not crunched up,

Cheers alll

[slinkymalinky]

G'day 5ky,

A 2 hook rig is a good idea but you can still use a single hook. The important thing is that the 'pull' on the bait needs to be from the top of the slab. You can do this by tying a couple of half hitches at the top of the bait or by just pinning the bait through the top like in this pic showing how I use a circle hook.

For many fish species, pinning a bait like this is really effective (don't try it with tailor or similar 'tail biters' though).

Cheers, Slinky